The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has learnt with shock the death of a Nigeria journalist, killed in line of duty while covering a protest by members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) on July 22, 2019 in Abuja, Nigeria.
Precious Owolabi, a journalist, who works with Channels Television, is reported dead from bullet wounds after he was caught in the crossfire in the violent confrontation between security forces and the protesters.
The 23 year-old journalist succumbed to his wounds after he was rushed to a nearby hospital, reports say.
The MFWA is deeply saddened by the death of Owolabi who was braving dangers to inform Nigerians and the world about the bloody events of July 22.
We deplore the catastrophic security intervention that led to the deaths of the journalist and at least 12 protesters.
The MFWA commiserates with the family of the departed journalists, the media fraternity in Nigeria and the country as a whole on the loss of a promising journalist and a dozen other citizens. We urge the authorities to investigate the incident and ensure that the security agencies observe the highest standards of public order procedures in similar situations to avoid a recurrence of the bloody incident.
